In a move that strikes a balance between becoming more consistent with the mobile apps and giving desktop users the best experience possible, Google has made some tweaks to Play Music's playlist interface. While playlists are no longer on the top level of the left-side hamburger menu—to be more like the phone and tablet UI—web users can use a shortcut to access a new sliding menu from the right.

Previously, playlists were jammed into the main hamburger menu on the left side. This wasn't necessarily bad in and of itself, but if you are switching between the web and mobile interfaces, it can be jarring that everything is the same except the presence of playlists in that menu.

Below you can see the old menu on the left and the new version of the menu on the right:

It's less busy without the playlists, but again that probably wasn't the main motivation.

However, to make sure playlists are still easily accessed, there is a shortcut button on the top right to pull out a sliding menu from the right side. The button is the one on the left, below:

From there, the new sliding menu shouldn't feel too unfamiliar.

If you were used to the old setup, you might double take a few times before getting the hang of it. Those who spend most of their time on mobile as well as new users, though, should find this more intuitive.

Comments

Wow - I had no idea that the Android TV Music app didn't allow access to your Thumbed Up list. At least 50% of the time all I listen to are my shuffled thumbed up songs, since that way I don't have to spend hardly any time skipping bad songs.

Odd that there's a new button for playlists but still the same interface for the queue. They have similar buttons (hamburger with play button for playlists, hamburger with music note for queue) but different functionality (playlist slides from the right, queue pops up a speech bubble). Google Play Music is my favourite streaming service by far but the UI is all over the place.

jwildman16

It appears as though the queue disappeared with this update. I'm on the web version listening to a radio station and don't see a button anywhere to view the queue.

Oh this is a great change. For someone with several playlists (some my own, some I use for syncing, some I subscribe from other users, etc.), this should help my web listening.

sbeaulieu

Spotify vs. Google Play Music. Should I quit spotify for it? Is it better? Which is the best?

russjr08

Youre the only one that can answer that :P

I'd try out the trial if you haven't though.

Jacob Long

Both have their strengths. Spotify has a desktop app, which is nice. I liked Spotify's playlists better, but they weren't organized as well as Play Music's Songza integration. I use Play Music now, but I went back and forth a few times. One of the things that put Play Music ahead for me was that Spotify on Android would sometimes pause and skip tracks when I was going in and out of Wi-Fi areas, which is a pretty idiosyncratic thing.

Christoph Laier

essentially both suck but you have to find the one thats right for you

sodsavage

Now can we get a Shuffle button to go along with the Play button that is now on Albums and Playlists?

If you don't mind extra stuff outside your library, you can start radio for a song or artists, then save the queue as a playlist

Tailor00

Oh that's neato

T4rd

Has anyone gotten their keyboard media controls to work with Play Music using Chrome? I've found instructions on the web for setting it up, but it doesn't work. Keyboard media controls work for other media players, just not with Chrome. I just want to be able to play, pause, and skip without having to pull up the tab/browser every time to do it.

Nope - that's why I use the Prime Player chrome extension instead. It maps shift-alt-P to play/pause, shift-alt-leftrightarrowkeys to next/prev, shuft-alt-updown to skipping around in the song, and a few others that I rarely ever use.

The drawer used to be persistent, like Inbox. Now it's a slide over drawer.

Swooper

Anyone know if they fixed the bug where Google Music deletes all downloaded songs when the phone turns off? I can't install OS updates because of that bullshit.

Swooper

That bug has been there over a year, btw. Doesn't seem to affect all devices, never happened on my OPO but happens every time my OPX turns off.

Ben

Also seems to be quicker navigating the interface a bit.

quick

Still completely un-intuitive layout and UI. I've tried to show people how to use google music and they are completely lost.

They need to ditch the album art square grids, there is no way to sort what your looking at, all the text on the album art squares gets truncated so you have to hover over it to read the full title.

This new playlist icon, they should at least have added a popup saying "Hey you can access your playlists here now!"

I can find what I'm looking for, but try getting someone non tech friendly to use this pos, both the web and the app need a complete redesign.

Along with a synced play queue across devices, but that is another story...

Rufflow

I got a notice the first time with an okay button telling me playlists have been moved. Maybe you have Google Ink enabled on that site and it interferes

quick

Ah well that's good at least, what's Google Ink?? Might have been my ad-blocker that blocked the message about playlists being moved.

Rufflow

It is a third party extension that gives Gmail, Drive, YouTube and calendar material design. Pretty cool stuff.

quick

Ah cool, thanks!

dcdttu

OMG can the Android app of Play Music please please please have a simple vertical list like the new pop-out one on the web client? Those-left-to-right-then-down lists that are more picture than text are the worst.

ggnate

yeah, playlists used to be listed in the hamburger menu on the app but after they removed it getting to playlists is too slow

Token

Those are some obscure albums. What the hell is Jacob listening to?

Tal

Looks like bottom right is Pagans in Vegas by Metric. XFM Series 4 could be the Ricky Gervais show? Dunno about the others

This app has too many problems Google couldn't care less to fix.
Constantly downloading music nonsense is addressed million of times on the web but did Google fix it? no. And you can't undo, delete or stop the app from this error-behavior. I almost hate the app and don't want to use it because of this. My app is always in a download mode. I paused it. But that's so much Google lets us do about it.

Also on a much more difficult level that Google cannot handle obviously is listener's mood settings. Some other music apps let you set the mood andor speed of music to be played. Such a great option. But does Google care? No. Google just prefers its apps being boring and second-rate. Laziness of Google development and marketing teams is beyond anything.
Of course Google can't force artists to upload new trendy music to Google Music at the same time as they do on Spotify or Apple Music. Nobody cares about Google music service. We get it. This we can forgive Google for. But Google could make this app crazy dope and awesome. And lebels will come... but obviously mediocracy is a comfort zone Google never tries to leave anymore.

TuftTip

Honestly a worse change without a major UI overhaul. Menus are mutually exclusive, flyout only and go away any time you want to interact with the page. Changing from library to playlists to radio just adds more clicks, and on opposite sides of the screen, because moving a cursor across 20+ inches of screen to do something is fun! I'm sure I'll get used to it in time, always do every time Google screws with things to make it "better".

johnforamerica

PLEASE GOD give us this in-app. 3 clicks to get to my Playlists is asinine.